The union will be made up of 19 total staff members.
The new union will be part of the Pacific Northwest Hospital Medicine Association.
One of the primary concerns from one staff member is work outside the ER, because of staffing shortages.
Dr. David Levin said, “This is 15 doctors and 3 PAs, and a nurse practitioner. All of us work in the emergency department together as a team, and we’re eligible to form a union because we’re actually hospital employees, we’re not our own distinct employed group.”
Levin said it’s not safe for staff to leave the ER to work in other departments.
He said that can cause increased wait times for patients that may need treatment immediately.
Providence released the following statement about the unionizing vote:
“Providence Medford respects the decision of the emergency room physicians who have elected to unionize. We have a long history of working collaboratively with unions that caregivers have chosen to represent them, and we’re committed to negotiating in good faith over the terms of a first contract.”
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